Q6600 Build, need some help please.

R

RuSty13

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 1, 2004
Messages
184
I am looking to build a new desktop soon and I need some help selecting components.
I answered some questions here, my build so far is posted below.
____________________________________________________________

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Graphic design, Adobe CS4 Applications, Some 3D rendering, Light video editing, web browsing, music, movies, NO GAMES

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 tax+shipping included

3) Where do you live?
Santa Cruz, California, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Video Card
Case
Powersupply

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
DVD Drive
CD Drive
Ethernet Card
Hard Drive

6) Will you be overclocking?
I would like to be able to overclock.

7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
19" CRT at the moment, plan to upgrade as far as 26" if the price is right.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next month, month and a half.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
RAID / Firewire / Overclockability
____________________________________________________________


So far I have:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core [$299]

Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard [Included w/ CPU]

Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel [$79.99]

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card [$159.99]

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case [$49.99]

Accessories: Rosewill RCX-TC050 Thermal Grease [$4.99]


Grand Total (T&S Included): $669.85



Items I still need at this point include:
Power Supply
CPU Cooler if necessary
Anything I'm forgetting?



So the main issues I want to discuss here are:
  • Compatability
  • Quality/Price Ratio
  • What power supply should I get? Do I need 500w? 750w?




Thanks,
-RuSty
 
$1,000 budget for those components you can go Q9550 build or even a Core i7. As far as the PSU for your Q6600 build, you can go with this:

BFG LS-550 for $66.49($20 MIR) w/free shipping

Also, since you don't game, there's no need to get that Radeon HD4850 for $160. Something like this will be fine for your needs.

By the way, for the same price, I think the Coolermaster Centurion 590 looks nicer and offer more.
http://www.provantage.com/cooler-master-rc-590-kkn1-gp~7COOL04F.htm

Reviews of the CoolerMaster 590 case

http://techgage.com/article/cooler_master_centurion_590/

http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/cases/CoolerMaster_Centurion-590/index.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/CoolerMaster/Centurion_590
 
By the way, since you don't game, and based on what you will be doing: Graphic Design, Adobe CS4 and Watching Movies, I would get this Dell 2408WFP 24" non-tn display. 178 degree horizontal/vertical view angles.
 
I agree w/ HWGURU, the Centurion 590 case is a heck of a value and provides excellent cooling.

I would not skimp on your Power Supply. I personally love the Corsair Modular line(520/620w) but this is a heck of a deal and a hell of a power supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005


and this would work very good cooling your Q6600 if you overclock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

a good quality Thermal paste.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

a very good monitor!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268
 
HardwareGuru said:
$1,000 budget for those components you can go Q9550 build or even a Core i7. As far as the PSU for your Q6600 build, you can go with this:

BFG LS-550 for $66.49($20 MIR) w/free shipping

Also, since you don't game, there's no need to get that Radeon HD4850 for $160. Something like this will be fine for your needs.

By the way, for the same price, I think the Coolermaster Centurion 590 looks nicer and offer more.
http://www.provantage.com/cooler-master-rc-590-kkn1-gp~7COOL04F.htm

Reviews of the CoolerMaster 590 case

http://techgage.com/article/cooler_master_centurion_590/

http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/cases/CoolerMaster_Centurion-590/index.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/CoolerMaster/Centurion_590
Click to expand...

HardwareGuru,

Thanks for the links, I think I am going to go with that power supply. It should be enough power, right?

And about the video card... would that be enough to power a 22" - 26" monitor at high resolutions? And what about dual monitors?

Although $1000 is my budget, that is not including the monitor which I will be purchasing on a later date, and since I will need a nive big heft flatscreen for graphic design, I would like to keep the components down as much as possible. However, I have a hard time passing up superior performance and speed, so I will look into a higher processor. I have heard though (and you can clear this up if you would like) that the Core i7 generally requires a pretty expensive motherboard and RAM.



Thanks for your input so far!


msarp said:
I agree w/ HWGURU, the Centurion 590 case is a heck of a value and provides excellent cooling.

I would not skimp on your Power Supply. I personally love the Corsair Modular line(520/620w) but this is a heck of a deal and a hell of a power supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005


and this would work very good cooling your Q6600 if you overclock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

a good quality Thermal paste.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

a very good monitor!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268
Click to expand...

Thanks for the timely input!

Do you think that cooler would fit with the processor/motherboard/case setup that I have?
And I will switch brands of thermal paste, thanks for the knowledge!






Thank a lot guys, keep it comin! ;)

-RuSty
 
Yes, the Radeon HD4550 512mb video will drive 22" or 26" lcd at their native resolutions with no problem. Remember that you don't need a gaming card like the HD4850 since you don't game. What's good about the HD 4550 is its low cpu usage during video playback and very low power consumption. The BFG LS-550 with 40A on the +12v is more than enough to power this Q6600 build easily. As far as the heatsink, I will have to disagree with misarp on that one. Look at the Xigmatek HDT- S1283 with the Retention Bracket for better performance over that Zalman CNPS9700 at a cheaper cost.
 
Alright, So I have updated many components on my build. It is now a Q9550 Build.

Here is a link to the wishlist on newegg:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8507965

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

Harddrives:
1. Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (bare drive)
2.Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Video Card:
SAPPHIRE 100252L Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Low Profile Video Card - Retail

Power Supply:
Rosewill RP550V2-D-SL 550W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

CPU Cooler:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

Case:
RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEB 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower


The links and prices are on the [Wishlist].


I'm trying to narrow this down quickly, all input will be much appreciated!



Thanks,
-RuSty
 
You're skimping on the PSU. That Rosewill PSU is crap. I recommend, if you're willing to buy from a different website, to spend the extra for a significantly better quality PSU:
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $67

If you're not willing to buy from a different website and want to stick to Newegg, the Corsair 450VX is a good choice at $70:
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $70

Though if the BFG LS-550 is in stock at newegg when you order and costs around $75, then get that PSU instead.
 
Danny Bui said:
You're skimping on the PSU. That Rosewill PSU is crap. I recommend, if you're willing to buy from a different website, to spend the extra for a significantly better quality PSU:
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $67

If you're not willing to buy from a different website and want to stick to Newegg, the Corsair 450VX is a good choice at $70:
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $70

Though if the BFG LS-550 is in stock at newegg when you order and costs around $75, then get that PSU instead.
Click to expand...

Alright, I will buy the BFG Power Supply, that looks like a good deal.


HardwareGuru,
Do you think I should go with the CPU cooler you recommended over the one I chose?



Thanks
-RuSty
 
As far as the hard drives,

Does the two I chose look alright?
What does (bare drive) mean on the VelociRaptor?
Will I need to buy anything extra for that drive?

OS Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (bare drive) - OEM

Storage Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM


Basically what I am looking for in the OS Drive is:
  • Speed, lots of it.
  • Capacity to run Vista, Win7 when it comes out

As far as the storage drive goes, all I really need is a lot of space.



Thanks,
-RuSty



[EDIT] Wishlist Updated - Link
 
As long as you know that VRaptor is only 8% faster, at most, than the Caviar Black, and you don't mind paying that price premium, then go for it. Otherwise, get a smaller Caviar Black, like the 640GB, for your boot drive.
 
neginurd said:
As long as you know that VRaptor is only 8% faster, at most, than the Caviar Black, and you don't mind paying that price premium, then go for it. Otherwise, get a smaller Caviar Black, like the 640GB, for your boot drive.
Click to expand...

No, I did not know that. Thanks!


-RuSty
 
So I was just reading a thread a minute ago about how DDR 800 can limit the overclockability of your CPU, and how it is better for most CPU's to get DDR 1066.

Is this true for the Q9550?

Is it worth it to go with 1066 over 800?



Thanks,
-RuSty
 
Go with the DDR2-1000 sticks. Sorry, I didn't notice it earlier because I didn't bother to read above post #9, lol.

$50 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-1000 F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
c × [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 × [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 × [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate)

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is, for the most part, useless. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results will vary):

Q9550: 8.5 × 333 = 2.8Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
Q9550: 8.5 × 400 = 3.4Ghz, DDR2-800 << Nice OC
Q9550: 8.5 × 425 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-850 << Good OC, near max
Q9550: 8.5 × 450 = 3.8Ghz, DDR2-900 << Great OC, near max
Q9550: 8.5 × 500 = 4.2Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Nearly impossible
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/
 
Alright, thanks, I changed that.
Well I am almost done. I'll wait for a few more replies before I press any buttons though.

So if you have any comments or thoughts, please, reply soon :D



Two more questions have arisen in my mind.

1. Will I have to buy any cables for this build? Some of the parts are OEM and such.

2. If I bought a fan controller, would I be able to immediately hook up all the fans to it? or is there something I am missing here?





Thanks to everyone for their help so far, its helped speed things up a lot!
-RuSty
 
1) Your mobo should come with all the cables you need to connect your drives.

2) You should be able to, assuming it came with both 3-pin and 4-pin adapters.

For thermal compound, go with MX-2, TX-2, or AS5.
 
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